Melania Trump is headed to Africa — take a look back at past first ladies' trips to the continent

Former first ladies Michelle Obama and Laura Bush on trips to Africa. Charles Dharapak/AP, Mike Hutchings/Reuters

First lady Melania Trump departs this week for her first big solo international trip through several African countries.

The first lady announced last week she planned to work closely with the United States Agency for International Development to focus on efforts similar to her childhood wellness initiative while visiting Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt.

Trump's spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told CNN that healthcare, education, conservation and tourism were top priorities on the trip's agenda, and "as with all that the first lady does, the well-being of children."

Trump previously said she is excited for her first time in Africa "to educate myself on the issues facing children throughout the continent, while also learning about its rich culture and history."

African countries have been a popular destination for first ladies on goodwill tours that sometimes bring aid or attention to the continent.

Take a look at the last four first ladies' time in Africa:

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Before she was first lady, the late Barbara Bush accompanied Vice President George H.W. Bush on a 1985 relief trip to western Sudan, where she helped feed refugees.

Vice President George H.W. Bush and Mrs. Barbara Bush stop at the feeding line at the El Obeid drought victims camp in western Sudan, Africa on March 6, 1985.Barry Thumma/AP

The landmark reportedly moved the first lady so much that she told the president to include the stop on his trip the following year.

President Bill Clinton and the First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton hold hands as they look out on the Atlantic Ocean from the "Door of No Return" on Goree Island off Dakar, a former slave trading center, on April 2, 1998.Reuters

Mandela gave them a personal tour of the Robben Island jail and cell where he served part of his 27-year sentence.

Earlier that day, the first lady touted Africa's path to democracy to University of Cape Town students, one of whom asked if the US might ever have a female president. "Hope springs eternal," Clinton replied.

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton shares a joke during speeches while on a visit to a housing project near Cape Town.Reuters

While in Cape Town, the first lady signed a wall of a housing shelter that was being built, and announced $16 million in US aid would be dedicated to eradicate polio in Africa by 2000.

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, accompanied by Patricia Matolengwe, chair of the Homeless People's Foundation, signs a door while on a visit to a housing project in Guguletu township near Cape Town.Reuters

Talking to 500 students, Clinton said: "We have an old saying in America that idle hands are the Devil's work. From what I have seen in just a few short days, the Devil will have no help here. South Africa is a country that is too busy to hate."

First Lady Hillary Clinton chats with young children at the Orlando Children's Home in Soweto, Tuesday March 18, 1997, at the end of the first day of her visit to South Africa.AP Photo/Doug Mills

She returned to the country twice as secretary of state in 2009 and 2012. Clinton would visit dozens of African countries during her tenure as the US's top diplomat.

South African jazz singer Judith Sephuma invites US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to dance with her to African music at a gala dinner at the Sefako M. Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria, South Africa on Aug. 7, 2012.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool

One of their stops brought them together with Rwandan children involved in an AIDS project, two years after her husband's administration established a billion-dollar global AIDS plan.

Bush made five goodwill trips in her husband's second term. In a February 2008 trip, the president and first lady received honors of distinction from Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first elected female head of state in Africa.

First lady Laura Bush receives an honor of distinction from Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf at a ceremony in the Executive Residence in Monrovia February 21, 2008. Jason Reed/Reuters

Former first Michelle Obama's emphasis on domestic policy and relatively young children resulted in her having half as many foreign trips as her predecessors, but she visited South Africa and Botswana in 2011.

First lady Michelle Obama, and daughters Sasha and Malia, march with children during their visit to the Emthonjeni Community Center in Zandspruit Township, Johannesburg, South Africa on June 21, 2011.Charles Dharapak/AP

Actresses Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto joined Obama to address adolescent girls on the challenges they face in getting an education.

In the first week of October, Melania Trump will embark on her own trip. "This will be my first time traveling to Africa and I am excited to educate myself on the issues facing children throughout the continent, while also learning about its rich culture and history," the first lady said in the statement.

First Lady Melania Trump is reportedly planning a solo trip to Africa for this October.
Chris Wattie/Reuters

Trump's spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told CNN Trump's stops in Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt will make for a "diplomatic and humanitarian visit, which will include stops focusing on healthcare, education, conservation and tourism."

First lady Melania Trump poses with children at a school in Japan on an international trip with her husband.
Pool/Reuters